j o n e s . d e s i g n . c o m p a n y

it’s moving day!

2010-06-10T15:17:00.001-07:00

You will be redirected to the new blog shortly.

We’re still working on a few things:

1. If you follow me, we’re figuring out how to make it automatically switch over to the new blog, so sit tight and I’ll let you know if you need to do anything.

2. I’m {slowly} updating the blogs I read.

3. There are a few more customizing things on the to-do list, but I just couldn’t wait any longer!

click the image to take a peek.

these are a few of my favorite things

2010-06-07T18:20:00.001-07:00

each of them found in my new {and almost finished} office

farmer’s market

2010-06-07T06:32:00.000-07:00

We went to our local farmer’s market this weekend. It was a beautiful day and perfect for being outdoors amidst farm-grown vegetables, plants, handmade crafts, candles, jellies and fresh cut flowers.

I went with the sole purpose to purchase some peonies. I think Audrey likes them too.

And the boys enjoyed their shaved ice.

Yum.

butler’s pantry

2010-06-04T16:09:00.001-07:00

Our house is very neutral. I like it that way.

Around Christmas, Ryan had the itch to add some color into our lives in the form of fire engine red {kind of fitting as he is a fire fighter}. Our butler’s pantry is inconspicuous enough and could handle a little something fun, so I just went with it.

It was not right.

Too bright. Too shiny. Too not us.

So yesterday {yes, six months later}, I finally painted it back to a color I love … BM Texas Leather.

Ahhh … so much better.

As I was taking a picture I realized I’ve never shown this fun feature of our house:

A salvaged window attached to a barn door track creating a separation between our entry & dining room. One of my favorite things we’ve done with this house. Not particularly the safest thing to have a giant hanging single-pane window in the middle of your house when you have three rambunctious boys, but it sure makes a statement!

Enjoy your weekend. It’s still raining around here, but boy are the plants green.

We’re hoping to launch our new website early next week, so be on the look-out!

what i wore

2010-06-02T11:49:00.001-07:00

I’ve been pretty diligent about photographing my outfits this week. One night we got home late and I went into the bathroom with the camera, took a picture, and came out to my husband’s very curious face. He couldn’t figure out why I was taking pictures in the bathroom late at night! Oh, the things I do for my blog-friends.

So here I am this week. I’ll include sources but let me forewarn you: nothing I have on was purchased recently, so you won’t find it in a store. Not much help, I know, but you probably don’t want anything I have on anyway … pretty boring, schmoring. Except my jeans. I do like those.

sweater: banana republic, shirt: hmmm? given to me by rae, jeans: banana republic, shoes: bp nordstrom

sweatshirt jacket: target, shirt: the Rack, jeans: citizens of humanity

sweater: nordstrom, scarf: gap, jeans: citizens of humanity, belt: target {I think I’ve had it since 8th grade – that’s how fashionable I am}.

This is a pretty good look. I was wearing something else, but before I had the chance to photograph myself, little miss decided to lose her entire lunch all down the front of me. So I opted for this ensemble instead.

sweats: martin & osa, shirt: gap

This is the late at night shot.

jacket: banana republic, blouse: banana republic, jeans: Seven A pocket, shoes: BP Nordstrom

sweater: Marshalls, shirt: Marshalls, pants: banana republic, shoes: Rack.

sweater: Marshalls, shirt: old navy, shoes: payless, jeans: Seven flare - my absolute favorites that did not come distressed – those holes are seriously from wearing them so much. My husband begs me to throw them out, but it pains me to think about it.

Only one of Audrey this week.

dress & shoes: janie & jack, headband: me.

One more thing: under every single outfit, I am wearing these two items.

hanes mens A shirt {who needs to buy cute camisoles when you can get three basic ones for $10?} and an empire tank.

I’ve linked up with

on being a mommy

2010-06-02T06:55:00.000-07:00

My babies are growing up so quickly.

I was folding laundry tonight and got a little sappy thinking about how little their clothes are now and how big they will soon be. I want to fold little bitty tights for forever. I don’t want them to grow up.

It makes me cry to think that I haven’t taken full advantage of these little years.

Being a mommy to little ones is a constant and often exhausting job. Not exhausting in the sense that it is the hardest job out there – I am beyond thankful that I get to be home with my kids and never wish to complain about my ‘job’ – but exhausting in that I am always on. There is always someone to assist or entertain or comfort or discipline. Not a lot of time to be quiet with my own thoughts or to start and finish a task in one sitting.

Tonight I was cleaning and re-arranging downstairs as the boys played {wonderfully} upstairs. I so appreciated the few moments to get things done, all the while knowing that they were destroying the playroom and that I would soon have to focus on cleaning that room. It never ends.

And, honestly, sometimes I want it to.

Sometimes I want to just stay in bed.

Sometimes I want to take a shower without interruption.

Or eat my breakfast first.

{ooooh, I’m sounding terribly selfish – please tell me you understand}

I want to listen to my music rather than Psalty.

I want to go shopping and actually try things on instead of just buying blindly and bringing them home to try on {and then, inevitably, returning most of it because nothing fits}.

I want to clean the floors and have them stay that way longer than 30 minutes.

But do I really? Is a life of focused shopping and cleanliness and sleeping in really better?

I’ve had so many friends and acquaintances struggle with infertility and it always makes me stop and think. We are so fortunate to have our four children. There are many who don’t have any and would give anything to have just one, and here I am with four and whining about how they disrupt my breakfast.

If you are a mommy, I know you know how I feel. We love our babies, but could use a break. For a week. Preferably at a tropical location.

While I sometimes feel a bit overwhelmed by this enormous task of raising kids {all the while maintaining a healthy marriage, hobbies and friendships} I want to remember to cherish these times with my darlings.

My silly boys who make horses out of wrapping paper tubes and play knights {with only one costume, hence the shirtless knight}.

Sweet little voices that sing songs to their baby sister.

Little innocent eyes.

These goofy kiddos who think making silly faces is one of the greatest pastimes ever.

And, of course, their complete sweetness as they sleep.

They are wonderful kids and I have the great honor of being their mommy. I hope I am doing a good job … and I hope I can take time every day to just enjoy where we are at {however dirty and disorderly it may be}.

birthday party

2010-06-01T07:18:00.001-07:00

My niece turned two this weekend. She is one of the most darling little girls I’ve ever seen and it seems crazy that she is already two. We had a little {but fun} party yesterday with our family to celebrate her and my mom.

I was reminded of the very cute party my sister & brother-in-law threw for her when she turned one and I thought I’d do a re-post. Enjoy!

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my sweet little niece . i s a b e l l a. had her first birthday party this afternoon. my sister has been working like crazy on it and hosted an amazing party. i was able to help with some of the creative stuff {which i always love} and it was fun to make it extra special for baby {i mean toddler} isabella
the birthday girl {wearing the most adorable tutu made by my mom}

every birthday baby need a bib for the special occasion.
darling, isn't it?
and, as is tradition for all the grandchildren, my mom made the special birthday cake to be devoured by the i've-only-had-sugar-once-before-birthday-girl.
some might think she's saying 'all done'
but oh no. not this girl. she was loving that sugar.
{she's my kind of girl}

yummy food

even yummier sweets
{because what's a party without candy as the goodie bag?}

apparently these darling monogram shirts {for the boys} and flower pin shirts {for the girls} were not a good enough party favor {as explained by anna, age 7 and ethan, age 5 on two separate occasions} candy bags are a must at any party. just in case you didn't know.

party hats

the little sweetness with her new baby be blessed dolly

i think she likes her

the birthday girl and her mommy

ready for some birthday party swimming {in 62 weather}

rebecca, me, eric & amy {unintentional pattern makers that we are} enjoying celebrating our niece.
it was a great party with so many cute, creative and special details. good work, mike & hillary, on a party well-thrown and a baby well-made.
happy birthday isabella!

birthday girl

2010-05-30T09:40:00.001-07:00

da.na.na.na.na.na you say it’s your birthday

2010-05-29T11:28:00.001-07:00

Things I love about my momma:
{in no particular order}

:: she is really good at sewing
:: she loves, L.O.V.E.S. her grandchildren
:: there are moms who get their hair wet in a pool and moms who don't. She's a get-her-hair-wet, for sure. but even better, she'll dive off the high dive, given the chance.
:: you can always count on her to bring see's chocolates to christmas
:: she finds little gifts while traveling about and wraps them up cute
:: she has a love affair with costco, craig’s list and marshalls, and finds some amazing deals: ::when her oven doesn't act up, her pies are the best
:: she's always up for an adventure
:: there is no one more enjoyable to watch open a gift, play 'oh suzanna' on a harmonica, or eat an ear of corn
:: she is young at heart and young in beauty and is often mistaken for our sister {and she loves it}
:: she married a man who loves her, loves to have fun and loves this {ever-growing} family

teacher gifts {part three} and some other stuff

2010-05-27T21:46:00.001-07:00

First, let’s start with a fun gift idea:

Dana from MADE is a genius at sewing and comes up with such cute and simple projects to make.

She featured this little project right before Mother’s Day and I just knew my mom would love a ruffle-y summer scarf.

All it takes is a half yard of light-weight fabric and some elastic thread. I’ve been reading about elastic thread so I was excited to give it a try.

It was NOT a good experience.

Apparently some sewing machines just don’t do well with elastic thread, and mine is one of them.

But Dana, the dear that she is, gave a second option for those of us with machines that have elastic thread allergies.

A ruffle-y summer scarf made without the evil thread.

I whipped one up for my momma and she loved it {or at least led me to believe that she did …}

So, if your teacher is the type who would wear a summer scarf, if you want to give elastic thread a try {or just go the traditional thread route} and have a few minutes to make your gift, this is a perfect one.

Click HERE for the tutorial.

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On a completely different note …

We moved away from Seattle a few years ago to a suburb with expansive houses and teensy yards. There are so many things I love about where we are now {fabulous neighborhood, a new {rodent-free} house that has a dishwasher and doesn’t need a new foundation, the greatest friends} but when I go into the city I realize how much I miss it. For the shopping. And being close to my amazing sisters. But also for the most spectacular old homes and established landscaping.

Love.

I used to be a nanny and would pick up the girls at a preschool that was located across from this brick house. I’ve always wanted a house just like it. While I was in the area today I decided to drive by just to remind myself of what it looked like.

Still in love.

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Speaking of love, here are the little girlies having a sweet cousin moment.

How about that for a random post?

what i wore

2010-05-26T17:07:00.001-07:00

So I’ve been linking to lindsey at the pleated poppy on her “what I wear wednesday” because

1. I think it is fun to see what other ladies are wearing

2. it motivates me to get dressed when I know I will be photographing myself each day

I’ve been pretty good this week about taking pictures {except for while on the retreat} and what do you know, there is no “what I wore wednesday”. Oh well. But, in case it is fun for you to see what I’ve been wearing and it somehow motivates you to get dressed each day, here are my outfits.

and the babe:

teacher gifts {part two}

2010-05-26T06:57:00.000-07:00

I was going to select just one item from The Pleated Poppy, but as I was looking through what Lindsey has in her shop, I decided that any/all of it would be perfect for thanking a teacher.

Here is a little snippet:

Visit The Pleated Poppy for even more great products.

teacher gifts {part one}

2010-05-25T07:22:00.000-07:00

The school year is {rapidly} coming to an end. And with the close of school comes the need to thank our teachers for their amazing patience, hard work and love that they give to each of their students.

This week I’ll be featuring some products that I think would be perfect for teacher gifts.

Today, let’s start with a little something from my stationery line:

Select from any of the following or choose a custom design for no extra charge.

Each card is 3.5 x 5 and is printed on heavy weight off-white cardstock.

If you would like to place an order, please email

Stay tuned for more great gift ideas …

pretty things

2010-05-22T22:13:00.001-07:00

I’m back from my retreat and had the most amazing, refreshing, encouraging time. I have much to process, and I’m guessing there will be a few ‘journal-ish’ posts in the next few days.

Have you ever been to a women’s retreat? There are a lot of tears. Good ones, sad ones, freeing ones. I cried some tears for myself and buckets of tears for my sweet friends and, my goodness, do my eyes ache!

So, for now, let’s just look at a few pretty things to soothe these puffy eyes.

{I am terrible about crediting photos – I just save them in my file and often forget to save the source. I’m working on that …}

retreat

2010-05-20T13:00:00.001-07:00

I’m heading out in just a few minutes for our women’s retreat. We sprung for a fancy resort this time around and I can’t wait for a time of relaxing, socializing, growing, swimming, worshipping & amazing scenery.

Not sure if there will be much time for blogging, so until next time …

mothers-in-law

2010-05-19T12:58:00.001-07:00

You hear stories all the time about terrible mothers-in-law. They are overbearing, protective of their sons, want to tell you how to be a wife or raise a child, how to cook a meal or make a bed.

That is not the case for me.

I have a mother-in-law that I not only love, but I genuinely like.

:: She accepted me the first day we met {with her love of girly things and the fact she had two very un-girly boys, I think she would have loved any girl that walked through the door!}.

:: She adores her grandbabies. She is the kind of grandma who lets the kids dump out the entire lego bin, gives them a full ball of yarn to create spider webs in the living room, and provides them with their own mini shovels to help her dig in the garden.

:: She has given me over half of what I have in my house {pretty much all the cool stuff}.

:: Every time we spend the night, she gets up with the kids. For someone who loves sleep as much as I do and gets as little of it as I do, this is the best gift ever.

:: She dealt with a horrible first marriage and raised her two boys on her own and really doesn’t hold bitterness for a situation that would have ruined the average woman.

:: She gave me him:

I love you Grandma Nonna.

what I wore

2010-05-19T09:35:00.001-07:00

It is What I Wore Wednesday at The Pleated Poppy.

I just wanted to let you all know that I am no longer standing on the edge of the bathtub for a full length view of myself. I went out and spent $5.99 on a mirror. Why I have not made this purchase LONG ago, I have no idea. It is a super flimsy mirror and I can’t figure out how to hang it as there are no hangers, but I suppose anything is better than the edge of the tub.

So here are the two outfits I’ve worn since acquiring the mirror.

Quality photo, I know. And do you like the prom dresses thrown on the floor behind me?

shirt: Gap, jeans: Seven A Pocket, boots: about 7 years old from Nordstrom

Now that I see myself, I think this outfit is a little dorky.

And this is today. Again, quality photo.

sweater: Nordstrom {Point of View – I realized about a year ago that I should no longer shop in the Juniors section and made my way over to the ‘mom’ department where I’ve remained ever since.} jeans: Banana Republic, tank: Old Navy, shoes: Payless

And for good measure, here is the little darling:

Outfit bought by my mom at the consignment store. Headband by me.

Shirt: Happy Hollis Designs, skirt: Target, headband by me.

the office

2010-05-18T14:17:00.001-07:00

In my old office, I had this fabulously large chalkboard where I could write out all of my to-do lists. I like to-do lists. Actually, I like crossing things off to-do lists – it makes me feel productive. Sometimes I’ll write down something obvious just so that I can cross it off {like ‘eat breakfast’ or ‘pick up Ethan from bus’}.

Anyway …

This chalkboard {salvaged from an old school} fit perfectly on the wall in my old office, but just couldn’t work in the new one.

So I went with the ever-popular chalkboard wall.

No. 2 and No. 3 helped ‘season’ it

and Audrey-girl watched

until it looked like this.

Then I wiped it down to give it that slightly old dusty look that we all love.

Today I’m finishing up this wall and can’t wait for the final results.

And, of course, crossing it off my to-do list.

prom 2010

2010-05-17T06:07:00.000-07:00

I went to prom this weekend. No, not high school prom.

I have some pretty crazy friends who decided it would be fun to have a night out with outfits circa our high school proms {for me, that’s 1997}, dinner, dancing & bowling.

The girls. My best friend is on the far left and she was the cutest pregnant prom goer ever.

By the way, there are 18 kids between all of us. That is a lot of children.

The guys. See that stud in the white tux & afro? That’s my date.

The boys came to watch us all be photographed and were a little weirded out by my lipstick. As was I.

We ate at a great restaurant where we caused a few heads to turn {twelve 30-somethings wearing crazy prom attire? Not something you see everyday}.

In true Prom fashion, we cast ballots for our 2010 king & queen {aren’t they darling!}, then hit the dance floor where we learned a few swing dancing steps and looked a bit silly while doing them.

Then, off we went to the bowling alley {something I haven’t done since high school and will definitely do again soon! I’m horrible, but it is fun}.

It was such a great night to just do something out of the ordinary, spend time with people we enjoy and make a fun memory.

Next up: wedding renewals in Vegas 2012, wedding dresses and all.

sources

2010-05-14T08:18:00.001-07:00

Thanks for all of the kind comments about my baby's outfits and my silly pose on the edge of the tub. You guys are funny.

I had some questions about where my Audrey-girl gets her clothes. She does have some pretty cute ones!

While I'll be happy to tell you our sources, I will preface it by saying 98% of what she wears are hand-me-downs from my super stylish nieces and baby friends. Therefore, most of these items are no longer in stores. I’ve added a few of my own touches, but for the most part, Audrey is just a mini Caroline, Isabella & Matilda.

1. dress: old navy, socks: trumpette mary janes

2. shirt: gymboree, jeans: gap, shoes: gap

3. pants: made by my mom, shirt: gap, shoes: gap

4. dress: H&M, shoes: gap

5. overalls {with chocolate spilled from my donut – oops!}: gymboree, shirt: gymboree, socks: trumpette

6. cloud dress: target, pants: gap, shoes: made by me

Lots of questions about her sweet headbands too. I make them.

It is not surprising that she doesn't wear much pink, since it really isn't my favorite color. But I'm also finding that she looks best in NOT pink - I think she has inherited my coloring. And I also find that I dress her in clothes that I would wear. Simple, classic, layers, plain colors. And finally, I will say that dressing her is VERY fun for me. I'll try not to put too much emphasis on her looks as I don't want her to associate her value with her outward beauty, but seriously, dressing a little girl is so much different than dressing my boys.

We are having some amazing weather this week, so we’ll be out enjoying the sun. Hope you all have something special to do with someone special this weekend!

what i wear

2010-05-12T08:50:00.001-07:00

This is sort of all over the blog world: WHAT I WORE. I love it. I think it is fun to see outfits that other women are wearing. It gives me ideas and it motivates me to actually put something interesting on. So I thought I’d try to join the party.

Here is the first day:

When getting ready to take the picture, I realized that I don’t have a full length mirror. I stand on the edge of our bathtub. And photographing me standing on the edge of the bathtub looks way too silly to continue. Plus, my clothes are not very interesting.

But T H I S girl … she has some cute ones.

So we’ll switch it up and call it “what Audrey wore”.

That’s much better.

office primping

2010-05-11T14:28:00.001-07:00

We are notorious for moving things around in our house. Even switching entire rooms around.

Like this room in the front of our home. When we first moved in, it was my office. Then it became Ryan’s when we built out an office for me off the playroom. Then our friends came to live with us and we sort of shared the office so that we could use mine as an extra bedroom. We tried to use this room as a sitting room, but realized that it just didn’t get much use. So here we are again, and it is now my office.

It was painted a great dark taupe color, but it felt a little too dark for me. So last week I painted it back to its original lighter color.

I’ve always loved the idea of wallpaper, but have also always struggled to find one that I love {and can also afford!}

The idea of painting 'wallpaper' seemed to be the best fit, so with the approval of my darling husband, I came up with an idea, sketched it out, and just dove in. It is just paint, afterall.

I created a pattern, traced it on the wall and then hand painted the lines. IT TAKES FOREVER! I finished the window wall and we thought maybe we’d live with it for a few weeks before deciding to continue on to the other walls. But, as I lived with it for a few hours, I just knew I wanted it on all of the walls.

So tracing and painting I continued …

I’m making progress. Slowly, I might add. But progress nonetheless.

apron day

2010-05-10T12:18:00.001-07:00

I just read that it is National Wear Your Apron Day. What a silly holiday. But sort of fun at the same time. Aprons are good; they protect your clothes from splatters, but they also can be a pretty cute accessory for the kitchen. Most of all, it makes me feel like a 50’s housewife when I put mine on and for some reason that is sort of comforting.

So in honor of this day, here are a few cute aprons I found:

{anthropologie}

{the pleated poppy}

{the land of nod}

{ etsy - modern green}

So here we are, wearing our aprons. In honor of it, I think we’ll bake some cookies.

Happy National Wear Your Apron Day.

the littlest one

2010-05-10T10:59:00.001-07:00

Just in time for Mother’s Day, my sister had the most adorable baby girl. She is so sweet and the perfect addition to our {growing} family.

Welcome sweet Hadley Kate. We are so glad you are here and love you so much already!

doing it all

2010-05-07T06:58:00.000-07:00

I received an email {very sweet} from a blog reader {and friend of my sister}. Here is a piece of it:

“I am completely inspired and overwhelmed by all of your fun posts. I am so amazed that you have time and energy to do all the things you do, with four little ones. I just had my second baby in Jan and only hope to get to my ever growing to-do list of fun projects. How do you do it? and I was also wondering, how do you organize it all? if you were willing to share I would love to hear, that is my struggle, keeping all my projects and dreams organized.”

First of all, I am humbled by these kind remarks. I am inspired by so many other women’s blogs so I am happy that my little blog can inspire others.

Now, I’m not exactly sure how to approach this for fear of sounding like I have it all figured out, because truthfully, I don’t.

But I’m going to say a prayer and trust that the Holy Spirit will say what He needs to say through me.

Here it goes.

Moms have it tough.

Let me explain.

There is this struggle in every mom I know to be the best mommy to our children, but also be true to ourselves. To have a life outside of our babies. To have dreams and interests and hobbies and opportunities to wear real clothes.

Regardless of whether you are a working mom or a stay-at-home one, we all feel the pressure to do it all. And do it all well .

I certainly do.

I want to home school my kids, grow my business, sew a dress for Audrey, run some errands, keep my wood floors clean, make a healthy dinner, work out, spend time in prayer, be a good friend, play with the boys, read too many blogs, spend time with my husband, fold laundry, watch a tv show or two, go to book club, send handwritten notes, call my sisters AND redecorate my office, all in a single day.

Anyone else out there?

And the problem is, I think I should be able to do it. And do it well.

But the truth is, I can’t.

Let me remind you {my sweet readers and friends} that a blog is a place to put your best face on. What you see here is my house when it is picked up, my kids when they are smiling, me when I look cute, projects that worked. I want to be vulnerable and honest in all I write, but truthfully, I also want to appear put together.

What you don’t see is my dirty bathrooms because I would rather sew than clean them. Or the piles of clean clothes that don’t get folded for days because I’d rather read a book than fold them. Or my children watching Curious George at 5pm because without that precocious monkey I would not be able to make dinner.

What I’m saying is that there is a trade-off.

Sometimes my boys play for hours by themselves. Sometimes I feel terrible that I am not upstairs creating lego masterpieces with them. Sometimes I am just thankful that they play so well.

Sometimes we eat out so that I don’t have to do dishes.

Sometimes I don’t shower for four days. I’m not kidding. And by sometimes, I mean most of the time.

You get the point.

We have to make a sacrifice in one area to be able to achieve in another.

SO, to answer the question of how I do all that I do, let’s just say I make sacrifices.

But in a very practical way, here are some things that help:

1. I don’t watch much tv.

2. Audrey is the easiest baby alive.

3. The boys play well together {with an occasional eruption now and again}

4. We have several go-to activities for them that keep them occupied and are readily available. {We moved my office to give them a ‘lego room’ so that they can create to their heart’s content and I don’t have to find legos all over the house. Our kitchen table is usually covered with colored pencils, paper scraps, scissors and drawings of monsters and battles and pirates. The backyard, while I’d like to keep it nicely groomed, is often the site of ‘rat traps’ and mud making. Dart guns and foam swords are favorites, as are every blanket and pillow in the house for fort making.} I like to keep things picked up and in order, but I regularly have to remember that part of my job is to encourage the boys to be creative and sometimes creativity is messy.

5. We have a monthly menu of dinners so I know what I am making and have the ingredients on hand.

6. Ryan is a firefighter and has a great schedule for having a young family. He is home quite a bit and helps out a lot.

7. I stay up late.

I’m not sure how to wrap this one up, but I hope this answers the question.

Remember the story of Mary & Martha?

^{Luke 10:38}As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. ⁴⁰But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

⁴¹"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴²but only one thing is needed.^[f] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

I think that sums it up perfectly. We need to choose what is better. We can not do it all. We must make little choices daily, little sacrifices, let some things go, allow for messes and unfinished projects and dirty bathrooms and too many kid shows and in the end, know that G R A C E is what gets us through.

sneak peak of my crazy ambitions

2010-05-06T13:58:00.001-07:00

It is a slightly crazy plan, but I’m loving the results. More to come …

take a look

2010-05-05T08:55:00.001-07:00

My new blog friend, Holly Mathis, has featured Audrey’s nursery on her amazing blog. I feel so honored!

Holly does gorgeous interior design and her own home has been featured in several magazines.

{her baby boy’s nursery}

{the patio – aren’t those lights great!!}

And, miss Holly is one of the designers for The Pioneer Woman’s friend Hyacinth.

I’ve only been blogging for a short time and by far my favorite thing about it is all the encouragement from other ladies. I feel like I’ve made friends with ladies I’ve never even seen or talked to and that makes my world feel a little cozier. Thank you Holly for being such a cheerleader for me – it is so great to have kind women supporting others.

Now go check out Miss Holly’s blog …

baby shoes

2010-05-03T13:08:00.001-07:00

Have you seen this amazing company? I love these shoes.

I would like one of each for my sweet Audrey.

Not only does Jessica create these darling shoes, but she is also an adoring, yet honest mom, a skilled writer and a beautiful photographer.

It is all so very inspiring to me!

gift wrapping

2010-05-01T13:42:00.001-07:00

Audrey has been invited to her first birthday party. She and I will be celebrating our little friend Claira’s first birthday at a May Day party this afternoon.

Naturally, a party means a gift which means gift wrapping … which I LOVE.

I’ve wondered from time to time if there is such a thing as a personal wrapper. If there is not, I think I’d like to invent the career.

Anyone need some gifts wrapped?

laundry room woes

2010-04-29T10:31:00.001-07:00

maybe if my laundry room looked a little more like this:

or this:

instead of this:

I just might come to terms with the fact that laundry will be part of my daily life for at least the next 18 years.

I think it’s time for a laundry room re-do.

{I can’t believe I am posting a picture of my terrible laundry room }

dance

2010-04-27T13:35:00.001-07:00

I’ve been known to cry at silly things, so that fact that I got teary watching the most un-sad video alive is not so surprising. But I think today it goes a little deeper. Ryan and I had a stupid ‘discussion’ this morning which led me to believe that sometimes we {I} just get way too caught up on things that don’t matter {like bamboo plants}. Anyway… this little video reminded me today to R.E.L.A.X., don’t take myself so seriously, and take a risk … it might make people smile {or, in my case, cry}.

Watch it!

silhouettes

2010-04-26T11:19:00.001-07:00

I love silhouettes. Probably because of their strong graphic nature and the fact that they are typically black & white {you know my love of all things neutral}. I made some silhouette canvases of my kids about a year ago, but now that we have a new one, I thought I’d update them and add in a fourth.

They turned out so well, that I’ve decided to add them to my list of products to sell.

$50 for a 12x12 canvas covered in french book pages with a custom silhouette of your loved one.

please email emily@jonesdesigncompany.com for more information.

And, in honor of these darling silhouettes, I’ve made some new stationery sets.

{monogram silhouette}

{name silhouette}

{medallion silhouette}

{full name silhouette}

{family silhouette}

{dots silhouette}

Each set include 12 note cards with envelopes {3.5x5} for $25

my favorite spot

2010-04-23T15:29:00.001-07:00

I have a favorite little spot in my house. It is probably the most unexpected place for me to call my favorite, but there is just something about it that I love. It really is just the half wall that separates the stairway from the living room – basically a wall with barely enough space for a table.

But it feels like “me”.

With some of my very favorite things: book pages glued to the wall,

old books, a few of my cherished old bibles, monograms & family photos

Most of all I love the crazy juxtaposition of it all. Take a sleek {yet dusty} glass table against a tattered papered wall, throw in a rustic wire basket and Ryan’s old fire extinguisher and we’ve got that eclectic look I adore.

Do you have a favorite spot in your home that best represents your design style? Please share!

purple

2010-04-22T18:00:00.001-07:00

While not typically a huge purple fan, I realize every year that my favorites flowers all have a touch of purple in them.

the lilac {the most heavenly scent of all time}

purple hydrangeas

chocolate cosmos {okay, maybe not traditional purple, but there’s a little in there}

Perhaps I like it a little more than I thought.

So in honor of my realization that I do, in fact, like purple, I bought some new lavender shoes.

announcements

2010-04-21T13:42:00.001-07:00

My little darling is two months old and I’m pretty sure everyone I know is aware of her arrival, but I still wanted to send out birth announcements. These ones were difficult to finalize {perhaps because this is my job and I wanted them to be just right or perhaps because she is the last one I’ll be sending out announcements for}, but I do love how they turned out.

she smiles

2010-04-20T14:56:00.001-07:00

my baby sister is having a baby

2010-04-17T21:12:00.001-07:00

My big sister and I hosted a shower for our little sister last night. She is due with her second little girl in just a few weeks, so it was fun to celebrate with a few of her dearest friends.

While laying in bed fighting off a breast infection a few weeks ago, the theme for the shower came to me:

A P R I L S H O W E R S B R I N G M A Y F L O W E R S

We wanted everything to be really flowery and springy with a yummy salad, crusty bread, special sweets and time to honor the mommy-to-be.

{invitations}

{flower pin favors}

{garland}

{gifts}

{fresh flowers}

{the food}

{me, amy, mom, audrey}

{me, audrey, the guest of honor}

And just because I think they are some of the cutest maternity photos, here are a few that were taken last week of my sissy, her husband and the most darling soon-to-be big sister {hope you don’t mind, Hillary!}

it makes a mess to organize

2010-04-14T21:19:00.001-07:00

You should have seen my house today. It was a DISASTER. Which is what happens when you start cleaning out closets, taking on projects and not picking up after the family. But I’m making progress on a few of the things I’ve been wanting to do for quite some time.

Like organize my fabrics.

And ribbons.

And make a few new spring pillows:

I also moved my office downstairs to make room for a lego room {you know your children have a great love of a toy when there is a room dedicated to it}, and rearranged the living room {which meant moving furniture all over the place}.

Things are mostly put back into place downstairs {pictures to come soon}, but you should see upstairs …

coincidence?

2010-04-09T14:04:00.001-07:00

So I was just clicking through some photos from last summer and came across these from our trip to California last June. {I was about three days pregnant and had no idea at the time … how strange to think that Audrey was part of our family even then}. Anyway, I saw these from the fabulous {if not completely odd} farmers market in Santa Cruz and find it interesting that my outfit has a slight resemblance to yesterday’s look.

I guess I do sort of wear the style I like. {This photo reminds me of one in US weekly in the column “Stars: They’re Just Like Us”. It shows celebrities doing the mundane things we all do ... pumping gas, eating an ice cream cone, walking the dog. If I were a star this would read: ‘Emily shops at the market with her kids’. For the record, I think it is the dumbest column ever. I once read one where a photographer caught Adam Sandler sneezing and the heading literally said, Adam Sandler sneezes. It is sad that somehow seeing famous people doing normal things makes us normal people feel better about ourselves. And yet, it totally does. Which is why I don't read US Weekly - unless I happen to see one at my sister's house and then I just might get really excited and take a peek. Sorry, that was a random tangent}.

In other news, I purchased a second pair of my very favorite jeans on ebay this morning for $15.99. That is about a $100 savings. And they are not even used. Now, if only I could squeeze into them …

some current wants

2010-04-08T22:44:00.001-07:00

this is how i want to dress:

love it.

{all images from emersonmade}

classroom

2010-04-07T08:22:00.001-07:00

Do you home school? Or know someone who does?

I need some help.

We've made the decision to start home schooling next year {for our first grader and pre-k-er}. I'm excited for many reasons {the schedule, the choice of curriculum, time with my boys, etc.} but I have to admit that setting up a classroom is right there at the top of the list.

I’ve heard someone say that a home school classroom is a waste of space since most of the work migrates to the kitchen table where family activity is anyway. Is this true? I could see how it may be easier to multitask in the main living area {boys working on class work, me doing little housework tasks in between questions}.

On the other hand, maybe we’d be more on task if we had a delegated space that we could work in.

With all the appropriate supplies within reach.

And in a bright, cheery, classroomy atmosphere.

Any thoughts?

egg hunts, easter finery and great-grandparents

2010-04-05T08:42:00.001-07:00

I like Easter. I like celebrating the resurrection of my Savior, but also the spring weather, the blooming flowers, the emergence of color. I have great memories of our family Easter celebrations. My mom {a talented seamstress} made my sisters and me fancy dresses, but never finished until the night before. I remember waking up on Easter morning to find our dresses hanging finished right outside our bedroom door. Very exciting for three little girls who loved dresses. My dad hid our easter baskets and wrote elaborate clues for each of us girls to find them. We ate baked blueberry french toast and listened to Second Chapter of Acts before heading off to church, then to some enormous family gathering where all my cousins would be wearing equally fancy pastel clothes. We did egg hunts and ate peeps and smiled a lot. Easter is a good day.

This year, we had two egg hunts to go to. The first was at our neighborhood park.

There are A LOT of kids in our neighborhood, so it is a mad dash to grab the not so subtly hidden eggs.

It’s a little sad to see all the kids in their winter coats and hats on Easter weekend … it was so cold!

After our neighborhood hunt, we were off to the fire department’s annual celebration. Again, lots of kids {still in winter coats} and more candy than we had from trick-or-treating.

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In my mom’s honor, the night before Easter, I made some little embellishments for the kids’ outfits.

I wanted them to all coordinate, so I made some sweet little flowers for boutonnieres, shoes & a headband.

Before I was pregnant, and certainly before I knew I would have a girl, I made this little linen dress. It was my first attempt at making a dress, and is pretty amaturely sewn, but it really looked sweet on my Audrey-girl and I was so glad she could wear it.

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I love that our kids have lots of grandmas & grandpas. Ryan’s grandparents {otherwise known as Mook & Pop} came up from California for the holiday and we were so happy to introduce Audrey to them. They adore the boys and are just the kindest, wisest, hard-working people you could meet.

How special to have the oldest patriarch with the newest little one.

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend!

me and my girl

2010-04-01T21:17:00.001-07:00

We’re six weeks into this thing called ‘raising a daughter’ and I couldn’t be more in love with it all.

The sweet companionship,

the pretty clothes and little headbands,

but most of all, my darling girl.

She is precious.

And I love being her mommy.

Details of the Nursery

2010-03-30T14:46:00.001-07:00

I’ve had a few questions asked about sources for the nursery, so I thought I’d share:

PAINT

walls: Rhino by Behr {home depot}

bed & shelves: Raging River by Sherwin Williams

WALLPAPER

Peonies gift wrap by Caskata. I have not seen this line in many stores, but you can look for a retailer in your area here. I used wallpaper paste, rolled it onto the paper {you want to make sure your paper will hold up to the paste} then adhered it to the wall. Super easy and I love the result. Keep in mind that many papers are not a continuous design and do not meet up when you put them next to each other. Mine did not and if you look closely you’ll notice, but it doesn’t bother me.

BEDDING

bumper: made myself {!} using linen curtains from IKEA and white piping made from IKEA curtains as well.

crib sheet: 2 yards of fabric folded over the mattress. This material was my first inspiration for the room. Rarely do I find a fabric that I adore, especially one with a pattern. There is just a tiny hint of blue in there and while it doesn’t really go with anything, I sort of like the eclectic feel it gives. And it helps tie in the gold of the wallpaper.

crib skirt: Pottery Barn classic stripe twin bed skirt in porcelain. I cut it apart and remade a crib size skirt. Then I added tulle and grey grosgrain ribbon to the bottom. I run into this problem often: I have an idea in my head and the product just doesn’t exist {or, if it does, it is far outside of my price range}. Thus, I end up making my own stuff. And very rarely is it made properly or expertly, as evidenced by this crib skirt. But it is the look that I wanted and cost very little.

coverlet: about 10 years ago I bought two of these on sale from the Martha Stewart line at K-Mart. Perfect for a little girl’s room {interesting purchase for a 21 year old, but so glad I did!}

pillows: made by me from left-over crib skirt fabric, crib sheet fabric and fabulous velvet given to me by a friend who used to work at the design center and has quite the collection of discontinued fabric samples.

ruffle pillow is from pier1.

MOBILE

created by me {here is the tutorial}

CURTAINS

Again made by yours truly. I bought this satin in the holiday garment section of Joann’s after Christmas last year. It was 70% off and I think I paid $2.50 per yard. They are lined with IKEA white curtains {which makes them thick and dark at night}. They were originally hanging in our master bedroom, but my vision for our room didn’t really work, so I decided they would be the perfect ‘party dress’ set of curtains for our baby girl. I added the ruffles to the bottom just to make them fancier.

They are hung with shower curtain rings that I find so charming. They are from the Rachel Ashwell line at Target {sorry, I couldn’t find a link}.

ARTWORK

The gold frames are old – collected from my mom & mother-in-law. I cut foam core to the size of each frame then fabric glued the same linen IKEA curtain fabric to it. Each little item is just pinned to the foam core.

Hope that helps!

shopping

2010-03-26T12:42:00.001-07:00

I’m in the market for some new jeans. I love jeans. Wear them everyday. We joke in our family that it is the commodity I most favor {want to buy yourself flight lessons? Sure, but I get a new pair of jeans.}

So I figured I should start searching online to see what is out there.

Good Lord, look what I found:

I don’t really get the skinny jean thing. Very few people can actually pull it off, and even then, I don’t find it very flattering. Sorry if I offend you.

And apparently The Gap wanted to bring back the terrible mom jean. Geesh.

So I flipped over to American Eagle. They have lots of inexpensive jeans and are dressing the teens of the world.

Not much better.

Again, a terrible skinny jean.

And then a bootcut one that looks like leg-warmers.

This one is called the boyfriend jean {yes, the boyfriend who wads up his jeans, throws them on the floor, then rolls out of bed in the morning and puts them on – that is exactly who I’d like to base my fashion on}.

No luck on American Eagle. So off I head to Martin & Osa. A brand I like for their casual sophistication.

Not so much. This is a MODEL and she looks all bumpy. What in heaven’s name would these look like on a girl who just birthed my fourth baby?!

WHAT???!!!!

Seriously, the are selling slouchy pegged leg jeans. In a light wash. With PLEATS.

I think I need to just stick with my tried and true Seven A pocket.

today’s thoughts

2010-03-25T16:12:00.001-07:00

1. I am ready for a living room facelift. We have a built-in next to the fireplace that needs to be finished as well as a fresh coat of paint on the walls. But I’m also wanting some new pillows {which I’ll make}and a change in accessories to freshen up the space. I get this way at the onset of every season … the itch to change things around. My poor husband. I’ll take some before and after photos and post them when we’re finished.

2. My mother-in-law is a thrift store shopper. I am definitely not. She always comes out with the best treasures. I just come out feeling like I need some hand sanitizer. But, I benefit greatly from her thrifting trips as she tires of her collections quickly and I get to take what I want. Tonight, I’m headed over to her house to pick through her give-away pile. Hope I come home with some good stuff!

3. My daughter, while precious in every way, has a major spitting up problem. My goodness we go through a lot of outfits and burp cloths each day.

4. Ryan is at work tonight and I’m planning on watching every show that he can’t stand: project runway, shear genius and america’s next top model. So looking forward to my date with the dvr.

It’s a sunny day

2010-03-20T21:57:00.001-07:00

My mom taught a song to the boys:

“It’s a sunny day, it’s a sunny day, it’s sunny outside so we can go out a play. All the little children say ‘hip-hip-hooray!’ It’s a sunny, sunny day {boom boom}”

Most days when it is unexpectedly sunny {quite frequently, I’m afraid}, we all break out in song. Today was one of those day.

GORGEOUS.

So we headed outdoors.

I realized that since having Audrey, I really haven’t photographed my first three loves. So I grabbed the camera and snapped a few shots of our beautiful day.

We met up with my mom and her wonderful husband for a lakeside lunch.

Then ventured to another park to meet up with cousins. {Note: it was only 68, which is really a nice spring day, but certainly not warm enough to be shirtless – unless you are 5 and your name is Grant}.

My silly six year old found posing for the camera quite entertaining. He had some awesome poses.

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend. We loved today.

Unfortunately, I think we’ll be singing the “It’s a rainy day” version of the song tomorrow.

the nursery

2010-03-17T15:21:00.001-07:00

My heart is happy every time I walk past Audrey’s nursery. The colors, the patterns, the fact that it is the girliest place in our house. At first, when Ryan saw the color I was asking him to paint, he questioned me. Why blue? It was my one chance to go pink, and I chose blue. I guess I’m just not as crazy about pink as I am blue. I’ve realized as I’ve spent time in her room, that if I could decorate my home any way I wished {without considering the four males that reside with me} it would look very much like our sweet Audrey’s room.

So let me welcome you to the nursery {beware, there are many photos!}

First, the before.

This was previously a boy’s nursery {go figure} and I loved the stripes. I originally wanted to use our guest room as the new nursery and us this room as the guest room so that I wouldn’t have to paint over the stripes, but that didn’t happen. So goodbye stripes.

And here it is now:

We’re still missing a few key elements {a chandelier - I just haven’t found the right one; a large sheepskin rug; a canvas painted with her scripture verse on it; a few more pillows}, but it is as good as it will get for today. The rest will happen over time. I’m learning to be okay with that …

Some of my favorite things:

:: the wallpaper {actually flat sheets of gift wrap that I have adored for a long time}

:: the ruffles on the curtains

:: the old gold frames {from my grandparents’ collection. They passed before I really knew them, but I think we would have gotten along beautifully. Both were actors and artists – my grandfather did set designs for theater, my grandma taught acting classes to Judy Garland. My mom mentions often that I would have loved her home growing up – glamorous and eclectic at the same time.}

:: the vintage little dresses {I bought one before I was even married and the other was my mom’s}

:: the pink ruffle pillow {I was not planning on putting pink into the room, but I found the pillow and then my mom gave me the crown artwork and it just came together.}

I really love all of the room. I was concerned that I had a vision that I wasn’t going to be able to translate into real life, but I think I got it pretty close.

sick day

2010-03-16T16:18:00.001-07:00

It’s a sick day around here. It started on Saturday in the middle of the night and continued through until late last night. I think we’re over the hump, but we’re laying low today, just in case. Ryan’s first day back to work since Audrey’s arrival was Sunday {conveniently, also the day I got sick. Fortunately, we had spent the night at his parent’s house and they took care of the boys while I spent the day resting}. He’s back at work today and I was a little nervous about having three boys with the flu and one baby who likes to eat a lot. But it’s been good today.

Sometimes sick days are just what I need. Mellow kids. Lots of movies. Coloring. Comfort foods like applesauce and graham crackers.

And hot chocolate {its a proven sore throat remedy, right?}

Time for reading {Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl}

Catching up on my bible study {Walking By Faith by Jennifer Rothschild}

Making flower headbands for a few special new babies.

And taking photos of my Audrey-girl.

I had a few minutes while the boys were napping to play around with photo editing. I’m fascinated by what you can do with photos and eager to learn how to do it correctly. This is just me messing around with some color, cropping and photo effects.

Here is the before :

And another before:

Kind of fun to play around and see the difference.

Time to get back to my book …

tonight

2010-03-15T22:39:00.001-07:00

{lots and lots of laundry}

{these sweet dainty little fingers}

{the best chocolate chips}

Not pictured:

cleaning up vomit {yuck … even when it is my own child’s}

watching dumb tv { i am definitely no smarter after watching The Bachelor: behind the scene}

finding some new fun blogs

feeding the little darling every hour.

i can’t live without …

2010-03-12T16:39:00.001-08:00

well, actually, I can’t live without a lot of things {God, my family, chocolate}.

Instead, I should call this, I COULDN’T BREASTFEED WITHOUT …

because, truly, I don’t know what I did before this invention.

My very good friend created this brilliant undergarment. I wear one everyday.

I am pleased to introduce you to the

This little wonder is much like a tube top, only it is worn under your bra line. It doesn’t seem too impressive upon first glance, but believe me, it is amazing.

Here are my top three benefits:

1. It keeps you all tucked in. We all know that after expanding incredibly, a stomach takes quite a while to go back to normal {if ever …}. This is just tight enough to slim you without the uncomfortable squeeze of wearing spanx.

2. It hides the beautiful reality of back fat. Have you ever sat behind someone who is breastfeeding? Ever noticed that no nursing cover can quite cover a mamma’s side and back? You lift up your shirt to feed your baby, and out pops the flab leftover from growing the precious darling. Not something I’d like to show the world. An empire tank is worn under your bra so that when you lift your shirt, you keep your torso covered by the tank. IN.GEN.IOUS.

3. Do I really need another benefit? I’d say the first two are enough. However, I will also say that I love supporting my dear friend. She has worked tirelessly on creating a company for moms, she is creative beyond belief, such a thoughtful friend and great mom. I think supporting other companies created by moms is one of the best things we can do for each other.

Check out her little company video {shot at my house! How fun it was despite my nasty nausea at the time}

Rae has generously offered a 25% discount on any of her AROMMY products.

{the smib – part smock, part bib}

{another product I can’t live without once my kiddos are eating real food. And just look at that little cutie in the orange shirt – my darling no. 3}

{stationery} {flowers}

{door bumper. Yet ANOTHER one I can’t live without. No more slamming doors}

{placemats}

Visit AROMMY’s blog here. If you’d like to place an order with the 25% discount, please email rae@armommy.com directly.

ooohhh, can’t wait for this company to just take off {and for my back fat to magically melt away…}

affirmation and a necklace

2010-03-10T17:28:00.001-08:00

First off, thank you to all the sweet women who commented on my last post. I debated about whether this was the right place to ‘journal’ and I think after reading your comments, it was. After I pressed ‘publish’ I said a prayer that somehow my total honesty would make some sort of impact on someone and that ultimately God would be glorified. I hope that both have occurred.

Sometimes I just need to write out my thoughts and process through things so that I can get past it, so thank you for being my listening audience. It seems like this idea of unrealistic expectations is something that I am not the only one struggling with which, believe me, feels good.

I was doing my bible study last night {yes, night, not morning like I thought I should do} and it put into words just what I needed to hear. Paul writes:

“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. ⁸Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹But he said to me,

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. ¹⁰That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

That is good, yes?

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On a completely different note, I am not really a jewelry girl. I generally wear my wedding ring {my great-grandmother’s and I love it} some fake diamond studs, a watch and this:

About two years ago, I searched and searched for tiny charms that I could have my boys’ initials engraved on. It was hard to find such little ones, but etsy came through for me.

When I got the package in the mail I cried. They were perfect. One little charm for each of my darlings.

Once we named Audrey, I placed my order {kathrynriechert.com} and was delighted once again when I received the tiny package.

So now my necklace is complete.

My FOUR darlings.

I sort of wish it spelled out something cooler than ebma, but we weren’t really thinking about my necklace when naming our first three {it was, ridiculous as it sounds, a consideration when naming baby no. 4 – that’s just kind of how I am}.

It is petite and makes me happy.

I highly recommend Kathryn … shop her etsy site here.

I should

2010-03-08T23:50:00.001-08:00

I had a hard day today. Not bad hard, just emotional and challenging hard.

I realized, with the help of my best friend, that I have some unrealistic expectations.

As a side note, do you have a best friend? I hope so. They are so wonderful and necessary. I adore my husband, and would probably call him my very best friend, but a girl friend is different. Today, without even knowing it, I needed my girl friend. I needed to be able to confess some things that only another mom and wife would understand. And it helps that mine has known me since I was 18.

Back to my hard day.

It all started when we got on the subject of home school. It is something our family has gone back and forth on and in thinking about next year with our oldest in first grade and gone every day for 7 hours has brought the idea back up. So I was just casually talking with my friend about my thoughts and got a little teary. We moved on to another topic {or maybe just got interrupted by our little ones and their play-doh needs} when she said, “it seems like every time you talk about home schooling, you cry”. Hmmm. She was right. WHY? And this led into quite the counseling session.

I cry because sometimes I feel like home school is the best option for our family. And yet, I am terrified of it. I don’t know how to do it; I’ve never seen it done; I don’t know how to teach one child while my three other are needing me; it is a huge sacrifice of my time and energy and I am not sure if I want to make it. I like {selfishly} the idea of sending my kids off to be taught by a teacher and play with friends while I get a little break.

I feel disappointed in myself for feeling this way. I should be able to figure it out if it is the best for my children. I should be organized enough to do it. I should, I should, I should.

I should have a daily routine for my kids.

I should have a weekly meal plan and all the ingredients ready.

I should keep up with the laundry.

I should be up and dressed and ready before the kids wake.

I should exercise.

I should do my bible study first thing in the morning.

I should keep the house clean{er}.

I should send birthday cards.

I should stop eating anything with sugar in it.

I should call my friends more often.

I should have all our photos organized and made into albums.

I should mop my kitchen floor.

I should teach the boys scripture.

I should play with them more.

I should. I should. I should.

I was trying to write out some of these thoughts earlier tonight and Audrey just didn’t want me to put her down. I should have been processing, coming up with a list of unrealistic expectations and figuring out a solution so that I don’t feel so overwhelmed. But what I needed to do was hold my baby. And she was so sweet, just looking at me and studying my face. What really is more valuable?

I’m not sure where all of these expectations come from. I don’t have one particular person in mind that I’m trying to measure up to. I think I just take the culmination of everything I hear another mom doing and think I should be doing the same. My friend Jen takes her kids on daily walks, so I suddenly feel like I am less of a mom for not doing the same. My friend K.C. makes really healthy {and tasty} food for her family. Amy is a photographer and takes amazing photos of her kids and has some really great traditions centered on family photos. Nicole loves the Lord, talks about Him whenever she can and is beautifully dressed everyday. Rae is always designing something more darling than before. Annie has a gorgeous home, adores her kids and can’t wait for them to wake from their naps. The list could go on and on.

Sometimes I just don’t feel like I measure up.

And the worst of it is, the only one telling me this is me.

These are all expectations that I am creating for myself, all the while feeling like if I don’t do this, Ryan will be disappointed. If I don’t do that, my children will somehow suffer.

My girl friend reminded me of two things:

1. This has always been my struggle. I create these lofty expectations and then get really burdened when I can’t meet them. It happened when she first met me and its happening now. Striving for perfection is not a fun problem to have.

2. This is not what the Lord thinks of me. He is not shaking his finger at me telling me I should do a better job of keeping the kitchen floor picked up. Nor is it what my husband or children or friends think of me. Don’t get me wrong, I can be a better wife, a better mom, a better friend. There is always room for improvement and I am all about continuing to learn and grow. My problem is that when I feel like I have so many shoulds, I get overwhelmed, stuck and so afraid of failing or disappointing, that I don’t even try.

And I’ll add one more:

I did have a baby two weeks ago.

My sweet girl eats so often during the day that I’ve spent more time sitting on the couch in her short lifetime than I have in months. All that downtime has made me feel unproductive. I am not sleeping as much as usual, so my motivation and energy level is slightly lower than normal. And I do have three other children.

I should probably cut myself a little slack.

So Audrey’s nursery is not done. She is healthy.

So the laundry is heaped in baskets, still unfolded. We have clothes.

So I haven’t written thank you cards for all the meals we’ve eaten these past two weeks. My friends understand.

I’m going to work on getting more organized, especially with meals and our daily schedule. I’m going to create a list of what is important to me and what kind of wife and mom and woman I want to be. It is good for me to regroup, set new goals and try to improve on myself.

But I’m also going to remember that no amount of striving will earn greater love. My kids just want to hang out with me. My husband has already chosen me. And, most of all, my Heavenly Father takes me just as I am and fills in my many gaps with His grace. How amazing is that?

my house plant woes

2010-03-05T22:33:00.001-08:00

When Ryan and I were first married and moved into our first home, I bought a maidenhair fern. I’ve always loved their frilly leaves and I figured a home is more homey when plants are present.

Fern didn’t live too long. I learned quickly that 1. maidenhair ferns are quite temperamental and 2. I am not very good at keeping plants alive.

See exhibit a:

my nearly dead topiary. This is my third one {the first two met a similar ‘oops, I went out of town and forgot to water you’ fate.}

And exhibit b:

The bay leaf topiary that my sweet husband bought for me for Mother’s Day last year. I have tried SO hard to keep this one alive and I think it is time I just admit defeat. The leaves are all dried out and I’m pretty sure they are not going to perk up no matter how much water I give them.

Last spring I found a perfect maidenhair fern at Pottery Barn.

One that I can never kill as it is made of plastic.

I’m not really a fan of fake plants, but sometimes you just have to go with it.

I love the way a room looks with some fresh greenery in it.

Which is why while walking through the grocery store the other day, I decided to give it another shot.

It is nearly spring and I’m just needing some green in my life. Plus, for $7.49, I can afford to replace miss azalea when she meets her inevitable fate.

If you have any tips on keeping houseplants alive, feel free to send them my way. Clearly, I could use all the help I can get.

newborn photos

2010-03-02T20:52:00.001-08:00

We know a great photographer that we were so fortunate to have take our little Audrey’s photos last week. Stacy is so good at taking candid, natural, adorable pictures of children, babies and families. She likes to do newborn shoots within the first 10 days so that the babies are sleepy, which, of course, our Audrey was not. But she captured some really sweet moments and we’re so happy to have these!

Stacy has this fabulous new studio along an old main street. If you live in the Seattle area and are looking for a photographer, please contact this talented lady. Or for more of her work, visit her blog.

the wedding

2010-02-28T22:49:00.001-08:00

My mom got married yesterday.

{the bride & groom}

It was such a perfect day … the weather cooperated, the park was blooming {SO early for around here}, the family was there and the bride & groom were glowing.

This was a simple wedding, but so classy and special. The ceremony took place in a park in Seattle. The reception at a local restaurant overlooking the Puget Sound. My mom’s dress was this gorgeous silvery grey tiered thing that looked so amazing on her.

                                                                                                                                     {the family}

My sisters and I were the bridesmaids and wore a black dress of our choice.

                                                                                                                                     {me & my beautiful sisters}

I’m so glad all the kids were part of this special day too. Grandma & Grandpa just adore them {as they are equally adored}

                                                                                                                    {Grandma & Grandpa and all the kids}

                                        {the cousins: caroline, ethan, grant, mason & brady. Missing isabella & audrey and one more to come in May}

Highlights of the day:

                                              {my niece, isabella}                                                                                                                                        {my No. 3, Mason}

                                                                                                                                              {isabella and her daddy}



                                               {our new family of SIX, oh my}                                                                                                                   {my No. 2, Brady}



                                                                                                            {best buddies, my nephew, Grant & my No. 1, Ethan}

                                                                                                                                                     {mud}

                                                                                     {sweet Audrey with her new grandpa}



{my big sister & family … perhaps the most photogenic people I know}

                                                                    {how I adore this little two year old whirlwind}



                                                                                                              {the ring bearers bearing their rings}

                                                                                                                                             {climbing trees}

{See that bruise on my arm? That is from the i.v. that didn’t work while having Audrey. }

It was a wonderful day and will always be a special memory for our family.

Congratulations Mom & Walt

girly things

2010-02-25T15:10:00.001-08:00

I’ve been meaning to write a new blog post, but I have a dilemma:

All I can think about is my precious baby.

Not that she is a bad thing to think about. I’m just thinking maybe no one else wants to hear about her perfect lips and sweet noises and darling hair and teensy feet and …

You get the point.

We love her, though. Not more than I loved each of my boys, just different. We’re a team, me and Audrey. The only girls. My sweet companion. My last baby. I don’t want her to grow and yet I can’t wait to find out who she is. I love our quiet moments in the middle of the night when its just the two of us. She needs me. And oh how I need her.

Isn’t she beautiful?

What a sweet girl.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

So in the hopes of not boring you with too many details of our Audrey, here are some other things that inspire me:

tea parties

ruffles

smocked dresses

capes

tutus

You see, I have girly things on my mind.

we’re in love

2010-02-22T10:29:00.001-08:00

We have a little girl.

. AUDREY . RYAN .

She is perfect and petite and we are truly in love with her already. It is fun to see how daddy is protective of a baby girl in a different way than with the boys. And the big brothers love her too {some a bit more gently than others …}.

And while I ADORE her, I also love the fact that I can shop for real clothes again.

a little nursery sneak peak

2010-02-17T17:44:00.001-08:00

I thought I was going to have the baby last weekend. I really did. But I didn’t. So we’ve regrouped, spent the week organizing, sewing, painting {not me} and getting set for our big day on friday {I’ll be induced}. It has actually been a really nice last few days and I’ve enjoyed the distraction of working on the baby’s room.

So here’s a sneak peak of the room:

And here is what it looks like as of five minutes ago. Hmmm, I’ve got some work to do.

valentine's day

2010-02-14T12:06:00.000-08:00

May your day be filled with reminders of all who love you, all you are blessed to love
and the Creator of Love himself.

And don't forget to indulge in all the sweets ... its a good day for it.

do not be anxious

2010-02-11T08:33:00.001-08:00

This is a journal entry today, just to forewarn you.

I’m ready to have this baby. I think I’ve been ready for the past few weeks, but now I am really ready. Our bags are packed, the house is freshly vacuumed, thank you notes are written, we may have even decided on a name. Now, the nursery is far from complete, but I’ve come to terms with the fact that 1. she won’t be sleeping there right away anyway and 2. she wouldn’t know the difference as she won’t be able to see further than a few inches right at the beginning. She’ll get her beautiful room soon and I’m excited about sharing it with all my kind blog-friends.

Anyway, I’m ready. Mentally and most of all physically. Yesterday I layed on the couch for most of the day not feeling very well. Nausea I don’t remember with the boys. Utter exhaustion. Contractions every five minutes for HOURS. But they weren’t getting worse, so I tried not to get too ahead of myself. Then I went to bed, and poof, the contractions are gone. Very disappointing. Actually, the contractions are not completely gone, I just had one.

As I was laying on the couch being the picture of the mom I try not to be {tv on, kids still in pj’s, ~~allowing~~ asking them to play unattended for hours} I was gently reminded of this verse:

And so, as I rested there, I prayed. And gave thanks. And made my request. And I claim this promise:

I’m thankful for this promise, since what I really need right now is to just rest in the fact that my Father, the Creator of All has perfect timing. Our baby will be here when the Lord wants her here.

Your answer will come. Your troubles will be resolved. Your needs will be met. IN HIS TIME. So in the meantime, pray, give thanks, make your requests. Then rest. But maybe not on a couch in front of tv all day.

keeping up the house

2010-02-09T13:06:00.001-08:00

I received a question the other day from a reader {and another one the same day from a real life friend} about how I keep my house clean. Now, let me clarify for just a second: my house is not necessarily clean, just picked up. There is a major difference. I don’t love cleaning, and a little dust on the furniture doesn’t phase me much. But stuff {toys, papers, random socks} all over drives me crazy. In no way do I think of myself as a great housekeeper, but I do have a few strategies to keep my surroundings somewhat orderly.

1. B O U N D A R I E S

It sounds so harsh, but the kids need some sort of boundaries or else I would be swallowed by toys. So legos stay in the playroom, dart guns are only to be shot upstairs {and never at girls – daddy’s best rule ever!}, blankies stay in their beds {in theory}, crayons & art supplies belong in the kitchen.

We keep one basket of blocks in the living room for a quick distraction. Otherwise, all of our toys are kept upstairs {aren’t I friendly?!}.

I want the boys to feel comfortable in our home, but I also want them to realize that not every room is a playroom. For example, they can build forts with the playroom couch cushions, but they know that the living room couch is for sitting.

Of course toys make their way downstairs {particularly by No. 3, who pretty much is my shadow all day long}. I try not to be too crazy-mom about this, I just make sure they make their way back upstairs by the end of the day {we keep a large basket on the stair landing and throughout the day I toss all the random stuff in it. I would like to say that I empty it often, but really, I just wait until I can’t handle the mess anymore, or we’re having company over}.

2. O R G A N I Z A T I O N

Not a new idea, but it works for us: separate baskets for different categories of toys. One for cars. One for lincoln logs. One for tools. You get the picture. My husband thinks I’m a little neurotic on this one {why not let the boys just throw all their toys in one big bin? he questions} but I’m convinced keeping things separated makes life much easier for me. The boys are young, but they generally know that if they want a stuffed animal, they can find it in the soft toy bin. Or if they are searching for a particular batman guy, it is likely in the figurine bin. I think it teaches them about taking care of their things, about sorting and organizing, and it keeps every toy from being dumped out to find that one elusive hot wheel.

3. U P K E E P

My mother-in-law jokes that every night I go through a maniac clean-up mode. And, she is so right. If the dishes aren’t {mostly} done, the counters cleared, floors picked up and things in their general location, I just can’t relax. So I make my way around the house putting things in their place. It only takes a few minutes, but it helps me enjoy the remainder of my evening and is much more pleasant to wake up to a ‘reset’ house.

Do you have any great ideas for keeping your house organized? Or maybe I need some tips on how to keep my house clean! Please share …

fortunately/unfortunately

2010-02-07T20:14:00.001-08:00

Our family and some friends took a little trip this weekend up to the snow.

Fortunately: we had so much fun

Unfortunately: the snow was crusty & slushy

Fortunately: that really didn’t deter the 15 children in our group from fully enjoying sledding

Unfortunately: I wasn’t able to sled {not that I should have anyway}

Fortunately: the roads were clear and I didn’t have the baby on a mountain pass in a blizzard

Unfortunately: I didn’t have a baby

Fortunately: we ate lots of great food

Unfortunately: we weren’t able to bring the extra ice cream home and it sounds very tasty right now

Most of all, we are so thankful for such a fun group of friends who are willing to endure the chaos of the many children for the sake of wonderful memories. For that, we feel very fortunate.

catalog shopping

2010-02-04T20:59:00.001-08:00

Dear Potterybarn,

I would like a few things from you:

Thanks a lot,

Emily

a winner & a birthday boy

2010-02-03T16:14:00.001-08:00

First of all, thank you to all the kind ladies who commented about my beautiful shower. The invitations were created by my dear friend Rae … aren’t they the most perfect things you’ve ever seen? Keepsake for sure. And it was hosted at my best friend’s gorgeous home and all the food was made by my talented girls.

Now, for the winner of the fancy shoe stationery {I went with a very high-tech form of drawing, as you can see}.

A N D T H E W I N N E R I S : Wendy from The Shabby Nest. Send me an email and I’ll ship these to you shortly {emily@jonesdesigncompany.com}.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Six years ago, right about now, I was laying in my bed starting to cry from the pain of contractions. It was my first time at this labor thing and I had already been sent home from the hospital early that morning, so there was no way I was going to go in only to be sent home again. When you’ve never experienced labor pains, you really have no idea how bad they can get. I figured “it could be worse”, so I stayed in bed, curled up, fighting through the pain while my husband finished out his day at work. Another hour or so passed and my mother-in-law {a former labor & delivery nurse} came by to see how we were doing. I mentioned it felt a little like I needed to push and she FREAKED OUT. We raced to the hospital, where I was admitted and realized that I had dilated all the way to 8 cm. Is this too much information? I haven’t thought about this in a while!

Anyway, two hours later, my little bundle of everything was born. My m-i-l jokes that the first thing I said when I saw him was, “He’s so cute. Not all gross like i thought!”. And he really was. Still is.

He was born just two hours before his daddy’s birthday, but his is a fun one to remember: 02.03.04.

Oh how this little boy has changed our lives. He is sensitive and silly and so completely smart. He is cautious and curious and creative beyond belief. Give him a pencil and paper and he’ll create a masterpiece. Give him a box of legos and he’ll build the most amazing helicopter.

He has his share of quirks: he creates more crumbs than anyone I’ve known. He waits until the very last second to go to the bathroom. He gets freaked out about minor injuries. He cries a little more than we’d prefer.

But he loves the Lord, loves his family, loves his terribly worn 'white blankie’.

And we all adore him.

Happy birthday to the most wonderful S.I.X. year old around.

a giveaway

2010-02-01T10:54:00.001-08:00

Inspired by my fancy shoes, I created a little set of eight note cards to coordinate.

The note cards are 3 1/2 x 5 on heavy off-white cardstock.

And the miniature printed shoe is embellished with that same grey felt used on my shoe clips.

If you’d like to win a set of these fancy note cards, please leave a comment. I’ll randomly select a winner on

wednesday February 3.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

On a different note, I thought I’d post a few photos from my beautiful shower.

Thank you to my wonderful friends for hosting a thoughtful shower with yummy food, delightful decorations, generous gifts and great conversation.

fancy shoes

2010-01-28T14:49:00.001-08:00

I’d like to think that I am a pretty creative person. And, I guess, I am. However, most of my ideas come from someone else.

Like these shoes:

I love the burlap flower on the simple black shoes. I believe these little flowers are sold on etsy and I could have purchased a pair, but instead thought I could just make some myself.

I had some grey felt laying around and thought they’d be a cute flower for the winter. I put in a little tulle for fluff & some mini glass beads in the center.

They are attached to an alligator hair barrette covered in ribbon. A clip-on earring back would be the preferred method of attaching to a shoe, however, I do not regularly purchase clip-on earring backs and when I want to do a project, I just try to make do with what I have so that my boys do not have to accompany me to another craft store.

I also made this pair with dark grey felt.

Now, why, you might ask, am I adorning high heels when I am three weeks away from delivering a baby and should not actually be wearing them?

Because tomorrow is my baby shower and of course I want my feet to look fancy.

commenting

2010-01-27T15:55:00.000-08:00

This may be a silly question to those of you who are blog experts, but how do I comment on comments made to me? Will you get them if I just post it under yours? There have been a few lovely ladies who have either asked questions or who I just want to reply to a sweet comment and I'm not sure the best route to take.

Suggestions?

the nursery in its current state

2010-01-26T21:22:00.001-08:00

So the furniture has been set up, the closets reorganized and No. 3 is now sleeping in the guest room so that I can take over his room and turn it into our new nursery.

Originally, I wanted to keep this room as No. 3s room. I spent A LOT of time on those stripes and it breaks my heart to paint over them. However, taupe stripes are not in the plan for the baby’s room.

There is much to do in here:

- paint the walls {prime them first, I’m afraid}.

- buy & install a chandelier

- decide on bedding & purchase/make it {or, rather, have my mom make it}

- wallpaper the large window wall

- paint the bed

- make roman shades for the three little windows

- paint the baby’s scripture verse above the crib

- create a collage of frames on the wall above the dresser

- accessorize, accessorize, accessorize.

Lots of work to do, but I’m looking forward to it.

Unfortunately, I have a husband who cares about my well-being and the well-being of our baby, and he refuses to let me paint the walls. I am at his mercy for this step so we’ll see when I can convince him to do it. Actually, I am thankful for his protective side because I can often overwork my poor little body and painting this room would surely not be the best for me.

I’ll keep posting photos as the room progresses.

wholesome goodness

2010-01-25T21:26:00.000-08:00

{m y n i g h t}
carrot cake +
milk
+
the bachelor

Oh, so wholesome.
Seriously, i do love carrot cake. And there is just something about The Bachelor that draws me in. So I'm a little bit in Heaven {it also helps that I am cozy on the couch in my pj's with the house mostly clean and the children sound asleep}.

I hope your night is as delightful {and perhaps a bit more wholesome}.

a mobile that isn’t a mobile

2010-01-21T22:00:00.001-08:00

I saw this image the other day in a Potterybarn Kids catalog and was inspired to create my own little flower mobile for the baby’s room.

So, off I went to Michael’s and bought many many white & cream flowers.

and a Styrofoam wreath form.

I wrapped grey grosgrain around it to fully cover,

securing the ends with these little silver pins. {I have no idea where we got these pins, but they proved very helpful for this project.}

I then stripped the flowers from their stems and attached them to the wreath. I first started by using fabric glue, but quickly realized that it was much easier to pin them in.

Look closely {beyond my beautifully painted fingernails} and you can see the little silver pin.

I just kept adding more and more flowers until I was happy with how it looked.

And here it is, hanging in my kitchen.

And oh what a view the baby will have while laying in her crib .

I’m looking forward to actually putting it in the room, but believe me, I’m quite a few steps back from accessorizing with a non-mobile mobile.

he knows her name

2010-01-20T14:52:00.001-08:00

In college, we went to church at Christian Assembly, the home of worship singer & songwriter Tommy Walker. So many of his songs have gained popularity and because our university was nearby, many were sung at our weekly chapel services. Needless to say, many of Tommy Walker’s songs have deep meaning to me and stir up emotions very quickly {well, truly, many things stir up emotions in this girl, but you get the idea}.

My best friend just sent me a link to this one … just as a walk down memory lane. I did always love this song for so many reasons. There was a period in college that was very hard for me and this song brought much comfort. To know that I had a heavenly father who adored me was exactly what I needed to hear at that time {still do, in fact!}. Plus, a really cute boy at school sang this one on our university’s first worship cd and so I always had a sort of affection for it. Oh, Jay Murphy.

A N Y W A Y …

I just listened to it and realized that not having a name for my daughter is hard for me. I think I just want to know who she is. And yet, I can’t for the life of me figure out what her name is. Now, bear with the video, because it is pretty cheesy and it was a song that was recorded in 1998 {12 years ago! Oh my!}, so it is a little dated. But it is beautiful. And it really does speak to me every time I hear it. This time around, it is the fact that

He knows her name

I just get to carry her. She is really His and He knows everything about her before she is even seen by me. What a great reminder and a reassurance to me that although we don’t have a face or a name or little feet to know yet, she has been known since time began.

May you be blessed today by this oldie but goodie.

ikea

2010-01-19T20:10:00.001-08:00

I have a love-hate relationship with IKEA.

Sometimes I get so excited to go, only to realize that I really am not an IKEA kind of girl. Most of it is a little too modern and strange and colorful for my liking. Sometimes it is CRAZY busy and I just want to leave, only to realize that I have to walk 4 1/2 miles to get to the exit.

And then sometimes, it is a hit. Like today. I took my two little {feverish, coughing} boys just to grab a couple of things so I can keep going on the baby’s room. I know, I should not have taken my sick children into public, but I assure you, they covered their coughs and we really weren’t there for long. Plus we got out of the house we’ve been stuck in for the past few days. If you’re a mom, you know how vital an outing is. Sick kids and all.

So here is what I found:

These basic white cotton curtains. Love that they are super long. These hang in many of our many windows, and I’ve also bought them just for the fabric {for pillow backs, bed skirts, fabric flowers}. And, apparently they lowered the price from last year {$24.99 to $14.99}.

These linen curtains. I do have two pairs of these in my house, but I’ll be using this pair just for the material. It is a pretty rugged natural linen, and I adore the grayish shade of them. They are a bit more spendy at $49.99, but for about 8 yards of fabric, I figure I’m getting a great deal.

These cups. We use them for the kids. We’ve made an effort to rid our lives of any unnecessary plastics, so we tossed out the kid’s plastic cups and have them use these. They do just fine with glass. Plus, if they break, the only cost $1.99 for six.

I wasn’t looking for pillows, but a down insert for $6.99? You can’t beat it! And I do love throw pillows …

And some plain white napkins. How boring, but essential.

I noticed a theme of very white items. Apparently I shop the way I decorate.

I also stopped by the craft store to get these:

more to come tomorrow on what I did with them.

oh what shall we name our baby?

2010-01-15T21:41:00.001-08:00

the carousel

2010-01-14T13:44:00.001-08:00

The Lord speaks to His children. Sometimes its just a feeling, sometimes a pretty clear word. Sometimes it comes in dreams or through someone’s words or a song. And sometimes it comes through a picture.

A few months ago while praying for a close friend, I got a picture of a carousel. It was going around and around with that tinkling music and colorful swirl of lights. People were riding, laughing, smiling. And my friend was standing off to the side, taking it all in.

Now sometimes a picture is hard to interpret. Was the Lord really telling me something? Did I just have a picture of a carousel in my mind because I was recently at the zoo where there is a carousel? Perhaps. But as I was reminded today, He uses everyday things to teach us something bigger.

As I was remembering this picture and reflecting on the meaning, I feel like it is something we all struggle with and really need to consider.

I wonder how often we are observers rather than participators?

We see the adventure, but are held back from joining in.

It may be fear {what if its going to fast for me? what if i don’t get the horse I want? what if …}

It may be intimidation {I don’t know if I have it in me}

It may be the unknown {I’ve never done that before}

Whatever it is, it is holding us back from what the Lord has for each one of us. He wants us to be free, to have joy, to be part of a great adventure, to have meaning and a purpose.

I’m challenged to figure out what my ‘carousel’ is and what is holding me back from jumping on. I don’t want to merely watch, but I want to be a part of the ride.

I encourage you to do the same {and share with me any insight you might have!}.

beautiful blogger

2010-01-13T17:22:00.001-08:00

I’m pretty new to blogging. I remember vividly a few years ago my husband talking about ‘blogs’ and I was clueless. Somehow, I found a blog which led me to another and then another, and … you know the story. I was hooked. I go in spurts. Right now I’m on a blog-love spurt. I think the lack of magazines in print has influenced this greatly. Sometimes {okay, a lot of times} I just want to sit on the couch and look at an inspiring magazine. However, my favorites have all been cancelled {I’m still in mourning}, and so I have turned to blogs.

One of those blogs is Loving Pretty Things. Good inspiring photos, links, personal stories. Its what I love.

And she generously nominated me for a Beautiful Blogger Award.

Sometimes I feel like I don’t really know why someone would want to read about me or see images that I like {do we all doubt ourselves? Do we blog for each other or for our own pleasure?}. The fact that Tracy, a perfect stranger, would find my blog both beautiful and worthy of a little award is touching.

And so, as a recipient of a nomination, I am now required to follow the rules:

Thank the person who nominated you for this award.

Copy the award & place it on your blog.

Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
Tell us 7 interesting things about yourself.

Nominate 7 bloggers.
Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.

So here is my list of 7 interesting things about me {can’t promise it is very interesting, but it is a list nevertheless}:

1. I really love good worship music. I wish I could always listen to ‘my’ music in the car, but most of the time it is Psalty or a kid movie. Although I can’t complain because an in-car DVD player is the greatest invention ever created for moms like me.

2. I prefer every light to be on in the house. For no other reason than that I like light {my husband did just walk past me and mutter, “why is every light in our house on right now?”}

3. This is NOT interesting, but I am just dying to lay on my stomach. Soon, I remind myself. Soon.

4. Both my husband and I are from the Seattle area, but we met at college in California {Azusa Pacific University}. We joke that neither of us needs a degree to do our jobs. Therefore, we paid A LOT of money to meet each other {and some great friends}.

5. As a little girl I was a ballet dancer and still have a secret dream of being a ballerina. It is such a far cry from anything that might happen, so I just do pilates instead {I call it ballet laying down}. But let me be honest for a moment and add that I haven’t done pilates in, oh, ten months maybe. I’m really not a devoted work-out kind of girl. Perhaps someday.

6. The highlight of my day is getting the mail. That sounds like I have a terribly boring life. But I do really enjoy getting mail.

7. Someday I’m pretty sure we’ll live in a warehouse. This is my husband’s dream of all dreams and I will oblige happily once we no longer have kids who need a neighborhood to play in.

And now for seven of my favorite blogs {that I also think are beautiful}

1. armommy.blogspot.com

I do love this blog, but even more so, I love the lady behind the blog. Rae is a dear friend of mine with such a creative talent and sweet heart for moms. Please have a look around at her stuff!

2. audreycaroline.blogspot.com

it is very likely that you’ve read her story, but I adore Angie’s wisdom and vulnerability and can’t wait for her book to come out!

3. mymamamadeit.blogspot

great creative ideas for re-designing clothes.

4. blog.urbangrace.com

she hasn’t been blogging as much as when I first started reading {could be something to do with the darling baby she just had} but I love Erika’s style, her ideas and photographs.

5. flythroughourwindow.com

a fun mix of amusing stories, recipes, adventures and thoughts from Erika’s twin sister Darby. Definitely one of my favorites.

6. resolved2worship.xanga.com

I mostly adore this one for the photography of this G O R G E O U S woman’s G O R G E O U S seven children.

7. lindseycheney.blogspot.com

good craft ideas, inspiring house, darling children … a fun read.

So there you have it. Thanks again Tracy for the nomination!

the nursery {part two}

2010-01-12T14:51:00.001-08:00

I’m really excited about this post.

If you’ve looked around at my blog {or if you know me}, you’ve undoubtedly noticed that I am a lover of neutral, muted non-colors.

You would also know that I have three boys.

And am expecting a baby girl in just a few weeks.

And you may have gathered that I’ve been O B S E S S E D with her room. It’s all I can think about. Well, I guess not all, but it is what I choose to think about when I have a few minutes to think.

I’ve been to a bunch of fabric stores searching for inspiration {I found nothing}. I’ve looked at a million blogs with nursery ideas. I pulled out my magazine tear-outs.

I’ve waffled the past few days with going with my original thought of grey, white & a touch of blue or if I should let her be a girl and go with pink.

So, I’ve been gathering stuff that I love from around the house {and things for the baby} and finally sat down today to compose a little inspiration montage.

And I think I’m sold.

Some gold. Some silver. Lots of white. Linen. A little hint of blue.

And a few sparkly things.

ooohhh … yes, I love it.

kitchen reorganized

2010-01-11T21:34:00.001-08:00

After Christmas, I {we} had an urge to freshen things up. I’m sure part of it for me is that little thing called ‘nesting’, but it really is not that uncommon for us to move things around. Our friends joke that when they come to our house things are always different. There is much truth to that.

I have a good list of tasks around the house and one big one was taking everything off the kitchen shelves, dusting, and rearranging.

Here are a few befores:

And after:

It feels fresh and clean and a little fluffier for valentines day.

You know what I also did? Cleaned my pot rack that hasn’t been dusted in at least a year. It was fuzzy with dust and has been bothering me for a long, long time. Finally, task accomplished.

Lots more moving and rearranging to take place in the next few weeks … updates to come.